The present invention relates to a printing request apparatus, a printing system and a printing request method.
“PrintEnhanced” in which a printing function is actualized on Universal Plug and Play (UPnP (trademark)) has been proposed by a UPnP forum. “PrintEnhanced” describes the content and layout of a printing document by using HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) Print and CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) PrintProfile.
At the same time, recently, the number of printers capable of a direct printing has been growing. In a direct printing system, without going through a personal computer, a digital still camera or the like is connected directly to a printer, and an image file in the digital still camera is transferred to the printer, thereby causing the printer to print an image based on the image data of the file. Particularly, a large number of “PictBridge”-compliant printer products is being sold. In such a direct printing method, printing conditions (the kind of paper, a paper size, a layout, the number of prints and the like) and an image file of a subject to be printed are specified within a printing request.
Although many of the existing direct printing systems are of a form in which a digital still camera or the like is connected to a printer by a USB cable, recently, a sending and reception of control information (a request, a response, a notice and the like) in the direct printing system via an IP network has been considered.
Particularly, in a case of PictBridge, PTP (Photo Transfer Protocol) is used to send and receive a file, such as an XML script file including the control information and an image file, but a direct printing system via the IP network is possible by using PTP/IP (PTP over IP).
Also, as in “PrintEnhanced” described heretofore, in an HTML-based printing method, which interprets a markup language, such as XHTML (extensive HTML) equivalent to HTML, or HTML-based data, such as an HTML subset or superset, and prints an HTML-based document thereof, it is possible to easily print the HTML-based data via the IP network by using HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol). For example, “PrintEnhanced”, which uses UPnP (trademark) as a lower layer, is premised on a printing via the IP network.
Under such circumstances, henceforth, for example, in a computer network such as a home LAN or an office LAN, there is a possibility of a combination of a direct printing printer and an HTML-based printing printer or a presence of a printer which responds to both a direct printing and an HTML-based printing. Also, it can be assumed that DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) or the like provides a connection of various home appliances, a mobile device and the like to such a network, and that such printers as described heretofore are used from those appliances and devices besides a personal computer.
Consequently, in a case of a device which responds to both the direct printing method and the HTML-based printing method, it is necessary to select an appropriate printer or an appropriate printing method at the time of printing. However, a user of the home appliances or a like person lacks knowledge of a printer, and it is difficult for such a user to select the appropriate printer or the appropriate printing method.